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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · band · bat · lean · coach · vault · shower · firm

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bat — the animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — to wash
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. firm — steady
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. band — a music group
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. firm — decided
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com